Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Southern States Late To Social Distancing Dealt With Strained Health Resources Even Before Pandemic

Experts worry that states in the South that only recently issued stay-at-home orders will be hit hard next. With rural hospital and health systems already stretched thin, it could be especially devastating. Hospital news comes out of California, New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan, as well.

Politico:
Virus Hot Spots In South Poised For Disproportionate Suffering
St. John the Baptist Parish, just southeast of Baton Rouge, La., has a population of just over 43,000 — and the highest per capita coronavirus mortality rate in the nation. Frantic local officials instituted an overnight curfew just this week and are begging residents to stay home. But in largely rural Southern states like Louisiana — where social distancing has been spotty, widespread testing is unavailable and hospitals are poorer and farther apart — the response may be coming too late to avoid a public health crisis as bad as the one now engulfing New York. (Goldberg and Ollstein, 4/3)

ABC News:
With Coronavirus Apex Still To Come, Some US Hospitals Reeling From Capacity Crunch
Already told to boost patient capacity by as much as 100%, many hospitals in New York state, the nation's top hot zone for the coronavirus, reached overcapacity on Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said... As the coronavirus crisis sweeps across the nation, hospitals administrators say their medical personnel are struggling to keep up with a flood of infected patients -- and the apex of the pandemic could still be days and possibly weeks away. (Hutchinson and Margolin, 4/5)

The Wall Street Journal:
Coronavirus Crisis Puts Bankrupt Hospitals Back In Demand
From small-town Vermont to Los Angeles, local governments are commandeering shut-down hospitals to add space amid the coronavirus pandemic—a trend that could revamp the market for health-care facilities. Just months ago, St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles and Astria Regional Medical Center in Yakima, Wash., were closed, unable to bring in enough revenue to stay afloat. Both are poised to reopen with the help of state funds and, in the case of St. Vincent, $135 million from the family foundation of Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times. (Brickley, 4/6)

NBC News:
What Does It Take To Convert A Hotel Bedroom Into A COVID-19 Care Room?
As hospitals around the country prepare for an increased number of coronavirus patients and potential bed shortages, local officials seek hotel rooms and dorms as alternative housing for coronavirus patients with less severe symptoms... But how do you turn a hotel room into a health care room? The first step is understanding that the coronavirus is primarily spread by respiratory droplets. (Garcia-Hodges, 4/5)

Modern Healthcare:
Home Healthcare Agency To Take COVID-19 Referrals From Hospitals
The Visiting Nurse Service of New York is accepting COVID-19 referrals from local hospitals. The goal is to offset some of the burden. The approach comes with challenges, however."We want to do everything possible to alleviate the strain on the New York metro area's hospital system," said Michael Bernstein, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at VNSNY. (Henderson, 4/2)

CNN:
Trump On USNS Comfort: 'If We Need It For The Virus, We'll Use It For That'
President Donald Trump said Sunday night that the USNS Comfort, docked in New York, could be used for coronavirus patients if needed. "That was not supposed to be for the virus at all and under circumstances. It looks like more and more we'll be using it for that," Trump told reporters at a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House. "The ship is ready and if we need it for the virus, we'll use it for that." The USNS Comfort had originally been designated as a space for non-coronavirus patients to alleviate the pressure from New York hospitals. (Robertson, 4/5)

The New York Times:
Chinese-Americans, Facing Abuse, Unite To Aid Hospitals In Coronavirus Battle
Dr. Peter Lee, an emergency room doctor from Montville, N.J., was close to an emotional breakdown by the time he took to WeChat, the social media app, last month. He was under siege on all fronts. At work, he was constantly dodging exposure to the coronavirus. At home, he was worried about infecting his pregnant wife and young daughters. And in his everyday life, he was suddenly navigating a new bias against Chinese-Americans. (La Gorce, 4/5)

Modern Healthcare:
Chicago Adding Another Field Hospital As COVID-19 Cases And Deaths Soar
A new field hospital is being planned for Chicago to address an expected surge in patients as COVID-19 spreads. In addition to McCormick Place, one of the nation's largest convention centers, which is being turned into a makeshift hospital by the Army Corps of Engineers, a not-for-profit that provides relief during disasters intends to establish at least one mobile field hospital in Chicago. (Goldberg, 4/3)

Crain's Detroit Business:
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Michigan Paying Employees To Volunteer At Field Hospital
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is offering to pay the salaries and benefits of employees with medical training who volunteer to work in the coronavirus field hospital being constructed inside TCF Center in downtown Detroit. Michigan's largest health insurance company sent employees a memo Wednesday announcing the plan to grant full paid leaves of absence to any employee with a background in nursing or medicine to help the state staff the 1,000-bed hospital the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is constructing. (Livengood, 4/3)

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